October 8th Market Recipes ft. Hakurei Turnips

This Saturday was one of my favorite markets of the season. It was a perfect autumnal Oregon day, complete with a misty morning and a beautiful sunny afternoon. Tis the season of cool days and warm sautés. This week I’m throwing in some photos of our market booth at the end of the recipes, everything was just too beautiful not to share. Happy cooking everyone!

For those of you who had the luxury of tasting these sweet treats in the spring, the rumors are true, Hakurei turnips are back in season. Raw, these turnips are soft and sweet and pure with fall magic. They can be eaten like an apple, added to a salad, or my favorite- used as a vehicle for dip. If you can stop munching them raw for a moment and use them in a stir fry, they are extremely satiating. There is no reason to not utilize the entire plant in the stir fry- the roots, stems, and leaves are all delicious and add to the meal.

INGREDIENTS:

2 bunches Hakurei Turnips

1-2 large shallots, chopped finely

1/2 head Garlic, chopped finely

Olive Oil

Tamari

Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Finely chop the shallots and garlic and set both aside.

Remove the tails and tops from the Hakurei turnips, cut them in half, and then slice them thin.

Heat up your pan to medium-high with olive oil coating the bottom. Once up to temp, add in the shallots and let cook about 2 minutes.

Add in 3-5 Tbsp of tamari and let cook another minute, allowing the tamari to reduce ever so slightly.

Add in your Hakurei turnips and the garlic at this point. Adding garlic later in the cooking process preserves its flavor, which you definitely want when you’ve spent the time to peel and mince. Let cook about 3 minutes.

Roughly chop the turnip greens and stems and add them into the sauté. Add another splash of tamari and a pinch or two of salt and let cook 1-2 minutes.

Turn off the pan and add more salt and tamari to taste if needed. Serve as is or over rice.

Delicata Squash and Poblano Pepper, sautéed

This amazing dish can only be enjoyed in a small window of time when we still have summer peppers hanging on despite winter squash encroaching on our market shelves. It was a favorite last year at market and continues to be one of mine, as the smoky poblano flavor compliments the creamy sweet delicata so well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Delicata squash, sliced into half-moons

3-4 Poblano peppers, sliced thinly

1-2 large shallots, chopped finely

1/2 head garlic, chopped finely

Olive oil

Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the ends off your delicata squash to make a flat surface, then stand it on end and slice it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Make thin half-moon slices down the delicata. Set aside.

Finely chop the shallots and garlic.

Heat up your pan to medium-high with olive oil coating the bottom. Once up to temp, add in the shallots and let cook about 2 minutes.

Add in the sliced delicata and let cook covered about 4-6 minutes.

Chop the poblanos in half and rip out the seeds and stem (make sure to wash your hands after touching the spicy seeds). Chop each half into thin slices.

Add the poblanos, garlic, and 1-2 pinches of salt to the pan and stir around. Cover and let cook about another 3-5 minutes.

Let cook a couple more minutes to desired softness. Add more salt to taste, and enjoy! Customers last year said this dish was a hit at Thanksgiving.

Broccoli and Romanesco, sautéed

INGREDIENTS:

1 head Broccoli, broken into pieces

1 head Romanesco, broken into pieces

2-3 Carrots, sliced into discs

1-2 large shallots, chopped finely

1/2 head garlic, chopped finely

Olive oil

Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Broccoli and Romanesco look and taste nicest in a sauté if you maintain their form throughout the cooking process. The shapes that we chop things into change their texture and flavor. So instead of “chopping” it, try to use your knife to cut off individual little trees. Set aside.

Finely chop the shallots and garlic.

Heat up your pan to medium-high with olive oil coating the bottom. Once up to temp, add in the shallots and let cook about 2 minutes.

Add in the broccoli and romanesco and let cook covered 3-5 minutes.

Slice up a few carrots just to add some color to the green sauté. Add them into pan along with garlic and 1-2 pinches salt. Let cook another 3-5 minutes uncovered until the broccoli and romanesco are cooked but still have some crunch.